How This Writer and Networking Pro Puts a Bossy Spin on the Freelance Dress Code

Ah, the freelance life. For some, being your own boss denotes sweatpants and “artist hours” (aka submitting to creative urges at any time of day), and the understanding that none of this necessarily requires a strict dress code. Disheveled but productive; sometimes, the theory goes, the mess fuels the passion. But for London-born, New York–bred freelance writer Phoebe Lovatt, putting a bossier spin on her 9-to-5 look actually furthers her work. In between writing profiles on a disparate but prolific coterie of artists like Anjelica Huston and Nicki Minaj, Lovatt is founder of the female career network The WW Club—a modern-day #girlboss, in other words—and she certainly dresses the part. Bringing to the East Coast what was initially a pop-up co-work and event space based in Los Angeles, Lovatt has extended it to include panel discussions (which she hosts the globe over), a podcast, and her own how-to guide on living a creative life and building a sense of community and support in its wake. Being your own boss certainly has its perks.

Here, Lovatt breaks down how she keeps it chic behind her laptop, and how New York brings out her London style.

All in the Family“Both my parents are freelance writers—if anything, I was resistant to becoming a writer for that very reason! But I grew up in an environment in which words were important: There was lots of reading, lots of conversation, lots and lots of books. I’m an only child, so reading was a major source of entertainment for me. I would go on vacation with one of my parents and read a book a day! What a little nerd. When I was a kid, my mom worked freelance for a now-defunct teen magazine in the U.K. called J-17. It was so cool and progressive. Having that around the house totally sparked a magazine obsession for me and I would devour any I could find. By the time I was 13, I pleaded my way into an internship at the Elle Girl office in London, which I loved, and from then on, I would secure a magazine internship during every summer break. When I was around 18 or 19, a British music magazine I was interning for let me go interview a then-little-known band called The xx. That was really my first proper commission, and my freelance career developed from there.”

She Wrote the Book on Freelancing“Toward the end of 2014, I was in a creative rut: I had moved to L.A. in 2012 and was working as a freelance journalist. The work was great, but I was feeling isolated and uninspired by being so far removed from the creative community I’d grown up with in London. Around the same time, a lot of younger girls were emailing me asking how I’d made the move to the U.S. alone, how I was functioning as a freelance journalist. I decided to consolidate all the information I’d picked up along my path into a short book of advice—The Handbook for Women Who Do Creative Work—alongside insights from other women I’d been lucky enough to learn from along the way: Neneh Cherry, Ann Friedman, Madeline Poole, Sharmadean Reid, among others.”

A Clubhouse for Career Women“I was also developing an idea to launch a club of sorts for creative women in L.A. at the same time. A friend very kindly loaned me a space he had been leasing in downtown L.A. and I worked with an amazing set designer to build a pop-up co-work and event space, which I opened to the public for a week in January 2015. That space was the launch of The WW [Working Women’s] Club, which is the business I now run from New York: Since last January, I’ve hosted career-focused events in New York, London, Paris, L.A., and Taipei. I also have a blog and a podcast, Make It Work, in which I interview women with cool, creative careers and ask them to share all their success secrets. I just launched The WW Club Summer School, which is a series of 10 career lessons from awesome, successful women that you can learn anywhere—whether that’s on your morning commute or sitting by the pool. Each week, the subscribers get a link to a podcast interview with a different woman, plus her summer curriculum of things to read, see, listen to, and do.”

Working for Yourself Means Dressing for Yourself“Because I work for myself I pretty much wear whatever I like, which is nice! Lots of crop tops are involved. Obviously I want to be comfortable and, like anyone in New York, I walk a lot—so an outfit usually starts with a pair of sneakers—Nike Flyknits, Huaraches, or Cortez—or maybe a modestly heeled mule by Maryam Nassir Zadeh or this white pair from Topshop. I also have a slight obsession with black ankle boots—my favorites are a peep-toe pair by Margiela, which I found brand-new in a consignment store in L.A. for $100. That was a good day.”

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Phoebe Lovatt

Photo: Lianna Tarantin

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Photo: (Clockwise from top left) Courtesy of stylebop.com; Courtesy of shopbop.com; Courtesy of Zara; Courtesy of fwrd.com; Courtesy of net-a-porter.com

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On Constant Rotation“From there are a handful of pieces that I rotate on a regular basis: wide-leg tailored pants, culottes, or Levi’s 501s, with a cropped jacket, structured shirt, or silk cami top. I also love long silk slip dresses, which I dress down with biker jackets and flats. I love anything by Sandy Liang—her pieces are playful but practical, which makes them perfect for a working day in Manhattan. Tibi make really beautiful pieces that are smart enough for important meetings, but also have some personality to them. I really like what Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne have done with DKNY, and, of course, I also wear a ton of stuff from & Other Stories, Zara, and good old Topshop. I’m not a huge vintage shopper (too lazy to dig), but vintage Levi’s 501s are pretty much the only denim I wear. Skinny jeans are not my friend.”

Minimalism Isn’t Just for Summer“I like an all-white room, and I love an all-white look. There is something so crisp and fresh to me about a monochromatic outfit, and I think it helps to elongate the body. Now that it’s summer, I’m just happy to have an excuse to wear all-white without people looking at me like I’m crazy. At the beginning of the summer, I bought a handful of silk slip dresses from eBay, Etsy, and The RealReal, so I’ve been wearing those with sneakers or slides.”

Wearing Her Hometown Pride Like a Badge“After much effort, I’ve given up on trying to be a ‘jewelry person.’ I do wear my ‘44’ necklace (all the girls in my friendship group have a different number; mine is the international U.K. dialing code), my P pendant from Chinatown, and a pair of small gold hoops every day. The next time I go to London, I plan to buy a signet pinky ring from Hatton Garden, but then I’m calling it a day. My everyday bags are by Kara. The founder, Sarah Law, is a friend of mine, but before I met her I’d had this pony-hair messenger bag she designed on my wish list. It’s the perfect bag—totally simple, no visible hardware, fits your iPad, wallet, makeup bag, and even a snack. Got to have a snack!”

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Bossy, Stage-Ready Heels When You Need Them“Getting dressed for events has been a process of trial and error. I had to go through a lot of unflattering photos of myself before I started to get it right! Unfortunately, what works for real life often looks pretty awful when you’re on stage in a director’s chair: Now I nearly always opt for a tailored look, with defined shoulders and full-length pants or a skirt. Fit is crucial: You don’t want to be tugging at your clothes with 100 people watching you. Events are the one time I always, always wear heels. They just give you that mental and physical ‘boss bitch’ boost.”

New York Brings Out the London Within“It’s funny but growing up in London, I never really felt like I fit in, style-wise. All my friends there rock these amazing looks—lots of color and texture and patterns—whereas I’ve always veered toward a more streamlined palette and silhouette. I would come to New York in my late teens and be in awe of all these glossy, glamorous women I’d see on the street. That aesthetic always resonated with me. Now that I live here, I actually feel like my London background comes through a lot in my love of sportswear—I grew up on a council estate in the middle of the city, so trainers and tracksuits are very much part of my style DNA. L.A. was disorienting in regard to my personal style. No one walks there, so ‘street style’ isn’t really a thing, and I kind of stopped making an effort! After all, what’s the point of wearing a sick outfit if you’re just going to sit in your car all day? Moving to New York felt like coming back to myself.”

Travel Light!“Less is more. If I can get away with a carry-on, I definitely will—you always end up wearing the same 10 pieces when you travel, anyway. I usually travel to the airport in a biker jacket with dark jeans and sneakers, but I keep a pair of slides stashed in my bag so I don’t have to keep lacing and unlacing my shoes to go through security. I’ll often wear a cap to travel, too—they get crushed in your suitcase, and they can cover up a multitude of sins when you land after a red-eye. I recently went to Taipei and Hong Kong to work on events with The WW Club. I picked up a ton of amazing sheet masks and kitschy phone cases, but no clothing, sadly. To be honest, I do most of my clothes shopping in London. The British high street is the best in the world, and I can never resist the lure of Liberty!”